This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for drying granular solids with venturi powdered gas circulation, and more particularly relates to a method and an apparatus for drying plastic pellets in a continuous-flow dryer using venturi powered gas circulation of dry compressed air.
The process of drying granular solids in a continuous flow is done in a conventional manner using a funnel bottom vessel in which the material to be dried is fed into the top by gravity, and is discharged from the bottom of the vessel. During the time the material is moving through the vessel, a counter flow of a drying gas is passed into the bottom of the vessel, and disperses evenly through the granular material to remove water and other volatile substances that are present in the feed stock material. Alternatively to this counter flow method, a concurrent flow of drying gas may be used, in which the drying gas is fed through the vessel in the same direction as the granular solids being fed through the vessel. The drying medium may be air or other selected gases depending on the desired interaction of the material and drying medium.
It is typical in the processing of granular plastic pellets to use very dry air or inert gases to remove the water or other volatiles (e.g. vapor phase substances emitted by the plastic) from the material. The flow of gas may come from several different methods of supply. One of the simplest is to use a continuous source of clean, dry gas. This is particularly desirable when the material to be dried off-gases volatile fractions that are not returned to the process, and can be removed or disposed of without concern as to its affect on the process if reintroduced. Since the drying process is continuous, a continuous flow of dry gas is required to process the material to be dried. The usual method to supply dry gas to the drying vessel is a process dehumidifier, which is typically a physically large device, or use the full required flow of dry compressed gas reduced to atmospheric pressure, and disposing of the gas after use. However, the use of “new” gases in most cases will render the economics of the process unsatisfactory.
In the normal construction of these devices, the gas is moved by a fan, blower, or pump to the drying vessel to remove the water and other volatiles from the process material. The gas recovered from the top of the vessel is collected since the amount of water/moisture present is far less than the water/moisture levels found in the usual atmospheric conditions. This low dewpoint air is then further dried to reduce the water/moisture content to an absolute minimum. It can then be sent back to the drying vessel to again absorb water and other volatiles from the material being processed.
In the construction of some small devices of this type, the use of dry compressed plant air utility in a manufacturing facility is done to enable the user to work with only a minimum size vessel on the next stage of the material process, and not use the recirculating gas device due to size and space constraints.